Is HDMI worth the upgrade?

Thanks... you're welcome.

Unless your monitor is 60in and up your not likely to see any true benefit of 1080p that at this time is still only on BluRay. HDMI direct from a player will allow often the upsample of standard def video but its not signifcant.
Hook up HDMI direct to monitor, use SPDIF Coax or Toslink digital for audio unless the new codecs for HD audio is a must have. You can save alot of coin on used units that are pre HDMI if you truely understand what they offer and what they really dont. I myself as of yet feel the need to update every item in my home for full HDMI.

Can't you use a Oppo BDP-83 with its' analog outs to go this route? Do the new high bit rate audio codecs play over the Oppo's analog outs?

No they only play via HDMI, thats why the market has crashed on pre HDMI gear, between 1080p and the latest codecs thats where HDMI gets its strength even if its goal really was only a way to prevent piracy (or try to)

Chadnliz

Newbie asked…
Can't you use a Oppo BDP-83 with its' analog outs to go this route? Do the new high bit rate audio codecs play over the Oppo's analog outs?

You replied….
“… No they only play via HDMI, thats why the market has crashed on pre HDMI gear, between 1080p and the latest codecs…. “

This is confusing.

Full on HD audio doesn’t come out of the Oppo BDP 83’s analog outs?

Hdmi ONLY? That doesn’t make sense to me.

So then… the full on HD audio only comes out of the processor in a dedicated HT multi ch proc or reciever’s analog outs, and NOT from a capably equipped source unit?

It has to.

I’ve not yet seen amps with HDMI…. At some point the digital HD AUDIO INFO has to be converted to analog… be it at the proc/receiver or at the source.

The BDP 83 has the codecs for HD audio too.

I’d bet the Oppo also allows for true HD audio out of it’s analog audio connections.

It has to be so. Processing of the Dolby and DTS HD audio is processing that info into analog. We would not be able to realize that sole benefit if it were to remain in the HDMI arena only.

The reason for the Oppos’ HDMI & multi ch outs is for flexibility with interfacing it into a greater variety of downstream appliances, and configurations.

HDMI has it’s own feature set for both video and audio, respective to it’s class… 1.0; 1.1; 1.2; etc. Only the bandwidth increases with each subsequent iteration. Due to the bandwidth increases, other audio aspects were then enabled… like DSD, multi ch audio, and now true color and HD AUDIO to be passed along a single cheap cable.

UNTIL hdmi 1.3 CAME ALONG YOU WERE ONLY GETTING STEREO AUDIO. 1.3A ALLOWED FOR STEREO dsd DIRECT WITHOUT IT BEING SWITCHED INTO pcm, AND THE hd color and audio facets. The video side also got a step up enabling True color.

Now networking is being added in the 1.4 version.

However capable the HDMI versions may well be in terms of bandwidth capacity enhancements, it remains the province of the displays, processors, and source units to be likewise outfitted or capable.

Not every source unit has the higher res audio or video codecs even if it has HDMI. One has to check which version of HDMI is on board. If it’s Blue Ray and doesn’t have analog outs, it likely doesn’t have the HD audio codecs needed to realize the better audio Blue Ray affords., and serves only to pass them along to the processor. If it does however chances are quite high that it does have those codecs and the only likely losses one could suffer then would be True color if the display doesn’t have the same level of HDMI gbuilt in. No such losses should occur if the source’s analog outs are employed, either by way of a receiver or right out into a multi ch amp from the source unit.

My Oppo DV 980H has HDMI 1.2. Upscalable video, and multi ch audio on the standard 19 pin HDMI cable. No true color video, DSD (SACD audio without conversion, and 24/96 multi ch audio , 24/192 in 2 ch though).

Blue ray dictated greater needs in thruput to accommodate more audio and video info, so another iteration was added. And agan, the technology preceeded the implementation of it’s benefits as the software lagged behind as usual.

Checking the capabilities of each source item, and processing and display device will tell you which way to proceed downstream of it. . that and your current devices of course.